Sports complex advisory firm to address commissioners

Wednesday

Jul 30, 2014 at 4:18 PMJul 31, 2014 at 8:46 AM

At the behest of Davidson County commissioner Todd Yates, a Florida-based firm specializing in advising communities about building multipurpose youth sports facilities is scheduled to address the board of commissioners Aug. 12.

BY DAVID EXUMThe Dispatch

At the behest of Davidson County commissioner Todd Yates, a Florida-based firm specializing in advising communities about building multipurpose youth sports facilities is scheduled to address the board of commissioners Aug. 12. Jason Clement, co-owner of The Sports Facilities Advisory of Clearwater, Fla., will give a presentation about the feasibility of building a multipurpose youth sports facility in Davidson County.Vice chairman Yates first learned about the idea of proposing a multipurpose youth sports facility for Davidson County after viewing North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex in Little River, S.C. The complex is not affiliated with SFA. "It's already booked at 110 percent for the next year and a half," Yates said, regarding the North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex. "I was told (the complex) is expecting to generate between $8 million to $9 million in revenue a year and an $18 million impact to businesses in the community."Owned and operated by the City of North Myrtle Beach, the $15 million, 145-acre complex not only includes several athletic fields, batting cages, picnic shelters and playgrounds, it also features an amphitheater, walking trails, dog park and a nature preserve. Yates also said SFA will conduct an assessment of Davidson County to see if a multiple-acre, multi-use complex would be a good fit for the community.If Davidson County was to build such a facility, Yates said SFA estimates that youth sports groups from a five-hour driving radius could be expected to come to Davidson County. Once built, Yates also said the complex could bring new businesses to the county, too. "They are going to look at our demographics and determine how big the complex needs to be," Yates said. "Hopefully, if this could work, it would be a definite game-changer for Davidson County. It would boost the county all around and would bring in new business. I hope it works, and I hope they tell us we have a fine location. (SFA) also told me they would tell us if our county wasn't a good fit."Although Yates couldn't specify a proposed location, he did say it would be pertinent to build it near Interstate 85. Yates did say he would like to see it being at least a 100-acre facility. If requested, SFA will also manage the facility for Davidson County."That's an option, Yates said. "All of this will be explained in the meeting."One of SFA's top projects is Rocky Top Sports World in Gatlinburg, Tenn., which is slated to open in August. Hailed as an 80-acre state-of-the-art sports complex in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, SFA predicts the complex will be one of the top tournament destination sites for turf and court sports in the Southeast.Shawn Hatem, business development manager for SFA, said his firm has had preliminary discussions with Davidson County officials, including county manager Robert Hyatt. Hatem added the presentation is to give commissioners and county officials more information about SFA and other projects it has been involved in since being founded in 2003."When we (come) to Davidson County, we will be discussing our firm's history and providing a brief presentation on the sports tourism industry in general," Hatem said. "We will also talk about what the county officials are considering in developing a tournament-style sports complex there."Other facilities SFA has developed include Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa., considered the largest indoor sports complex in the country. SFA has also built facilities for aquatics, ice and roller hockey, golf courses, golf domes, fitness centers and family entertainment centers. SFA also utilizes a wide range of equipment vendors it can recommend.Yates is requesting any interested citizens come to the commissioners' meeting room at 7 p.m. Aug. 12."It would be great to get as much community involvement as possible," Yates said. "I want the community to be pumped up about this. If it's going to work, let's do it."For more information about SFA, visit www.sportadvisory.com/home.html.David Exum can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 227, or at dave.exum@the-dispatch.com. Follow David on Twitter: @LexDisptachExum